Media Briefing

Norman Baker: To ask the Leader of the House pursuant to his answer of 30 March 2006, Official Report, column 771W, on media briefing, on the release of material, whether paragraph 7.1 prohibits the issuing of embargoed statements to media outlets; and what rules govern the issuing of embargoed statements to the media.

Geoff Hoon: There is no reference in paragraph 7.1 which prohibits the release of material under embargo. It has been the practice of successive Governments to release specific reports and other documents under timed embargo to assist the media in its coverage.
	There are no specific rules governing the issue of embargoed statements to the media, but Departments and their press offices are made aware of the need to observe the importance of Parliament being informed in the first instance.

Ministerial Cars (Fuel Costs)

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Leader of the House what the fuel costs were for ministerial cars used by the Department in each of the last five years.

Nigel Griffiths: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 27 April 2006, Official Report, column 1226W, by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Transport (Dr. Ladyman).

Anthrax (Wales)

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with her counterpart in Wales on the incidence of anthrax; and what measures she has taken to prevent spread of the disease to England.

Ben Bradshaw: The Chief Veterinary Officer for Wales has responsibility for the control of the incidence of anthrax in Wales and she is working closely with the Chief Veterinary Officer (UK). Officials in the Department have been in close, direct daily contact with their counterparts in Welsh Assembly Government. Since the outbreak was confirmed on 22 April, the CVO Wales has convened three telephone conferences, involving partner organisations including representatives from the Environment Agency, relevant local authority, public health officials and the State Veterinary Service who have advised on environmental sampling, public health protection and animal health aspects accordingly.
	A movement restriction was placed on the affected premises on 19 April 2006 and will continue until it is considered safe for it to be lifted. Investigations are continuing.

Fly-tipping

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many incidents of fly-tipping have (a) been reported and (b) led to a prosecution in (i) South East Essex and (ii)Southend-on-Sea since April 2004.

Ben Bradshaw: Defra and the Environment Agency have established a national database on fly-tipping (Flycapture), operational since April 2004.
	Flycapture collects data at local authority level only. It is important to note that the following data are probably an underestimate and will increase as authorities get better at collecting and reporting information.
	Southend-on-Sea borough council reported 1,736 incidents of fly-tipping between April 2004 and March 2005 (an average of 157.8 per month) and 1,591 incidents between April 2005 and February 2006 (an average of 132.6 per month). Waste collection authorities across the whole of Essex reported 25,083 incidents in 2004–05 (an average of 2,090.3 per month) and 21,741 incidents in 2005–06 (an average of 1,811.8 per month).
	Prosecutions data are only available from April 2005 to February 2006. During this period no prosecutions were reported by Southend-on-Sea borough council. Local authorities in Essex took forward 9 prosecutions in this time period.
	The following table shows the relevant data broken down by individual local authorities in Essex.
	
		Local authorities in Essex
		
			  April 2004 to March 2005 April 2005 to March 2006 
			  Number of returns Number of incidents Average per month Number of returns Number of incidents Average per month Prosecutions 
		
		
			 Basildon District Council 12 11,639 969.9 12 8,586 715.5 1 
			 Braintree District Council 11 2154 195.8 12 2,184 182.0 0 
			 Brentwood Borough Council 10 502 50.2 12 388 32.3 1 
			 Castle Point Borough Council 8 349 43.6 12 544 45.3 0 
			 Chelmsford Borough Council 12 1,048 87.3 12 517 43.1 2 
			 Colchester Borough Council 12 195 16.3 12 141 11.8 0 
			 Epping Forest District Council 11 2,276 206.9 12 2,492 207.7 0 
			 Harlow District Council 12 2234 186.2 12 2220 185.0 0 
			 Maldon District Council 2 143 71.5 12 576 48.0 0 
			 Rochford District Council 12 416 34.7 12 419 34.9 0 
			 Southend-on-Sea Borough Council 11 1,736 157.8 12 1,591 132.6 0 
			 Tendring District Council 11 578 52.5 12 523 43.6 0 
			 Thurrock Borough Council 12 1571 130.9 12 1,320 110.0 5 
			 Uttlesford District Council 10 242 24.2 12 240 20.0 0 
			 Essex Total 12 25,083 2,090.3 12 21,741 1,811.8 9

Herdwick Indigenous Sheep Flock

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding her Department has made available for the protection of the Herdwick indigenous sheep flock in each year since 1997.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 3 May 2006
	In 2001, Defra granted £10,000 to create the Heritage Gene Bank which was set up to preserve semen and embryos from breeds considered to be at-risk due to the FMD outbreak of the time. The Herdwick was one of those breeds considered to be at-risk because the majority of its breeding population were in or near to areas heavily affected by FMD.
	Defra recognises need to have a long term view on managing the genetic health of our livestock breeding population and the need for a co-ordinated effort to support initiatives that will encourage the characterisation, conservation and utilisation of our livestock genetic resources—which includes rare, mainstream and heritage livestock breeds. The National Steering Committee for Farm Animal Genetic Resources is about to report to Ministers with a national action plan to identify what the Government, industry stakeholders and other organisations can do to improve the management of Farm Animal Genetic Resources and this plan will help inform our future policy in this area.

Television Disposal

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the number of analogue televisions which will be sent to landfill as a result of switching off the analogue television signal; and what steps she is taking to find means by which televisions can be reused or recycled.

Ben Bradshaw: Digital switchover does not require any equipment to be thrown away. However, as the regulatory impact assessment on the timing of digital switchover acknowledges, there may be a temporary acceleration in the disposal of some secondary televisions that people choose not to adapt after switchover in each region. In light of this, Defra and the Department for Trade and Industry (DTI) have jointly commissioned the Market Transformation Programme to establish and quantify any changes in patterns of disposal of consumer equipment, including televisions, due to digital switchover. This project is due to report in June.
	Televisions disposed of following digital switchover will be subject to regulations implementing the EU Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment (WEEE) Directive, which aims to prevent electronic and electrical waste and promote reuse, recycling and other forms of recovery in order to reduce the amount of such waste going to landfill. The directive requires producers, or those acting on their behalf, to set up systems for treatment, recovery and environmentally sound disposal of WEEE.
	Transposition of the majority of the WEEE directive is the responsibility of the DTI. However, Defra is drawing up Regulations amending the Waste Management Licensing Regulations 1994, to transpose the treatment-permitting requirements of article 6 of the directive. Defra also intend to introduce exemptions from the need to obtain a waste management licence for those storing WEEE prior to its recovery and those repairing WEEE to promote its reuse.
	These regulations will help ensure that less WEEE ends up in landfill. They will also help to ensure that more of it is either reused or recycled in an environmentally sound manner.
	The DTI plan to consult on the draft regulations and accompanying guidance later this spring.

Water Conservation/Resources

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to use the planning system to promote water conservation; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: I have been asked to reply.
	The prudent use of natural resources is set out in PPS1, Delivering sustainable development; this includes the sustainable use of water.
	Water use in buildings is also related to design and installation consequently promoting of water conservation can also be served through building or water regulation.
	Water conservation is a key element of sustainability. We intend to regulate to increase water efficiency in new homes and will consult on proposals late this year. Proposals for water conservation are set out in the consultation paper for the Code for Sustainable Homes that was published on 6 December; the Code sets out a base line target that water used in homes should be 20 per cent. less than the current norm. The Code will have a range of performance standards with a five star rating system. Housing schemes that are publicly funded or built on sites released or assembled by Government will have to achieve a three star rating.

Water Conservation/Resources

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answers to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) of 28 March 2006, Official Report, columns 844–5W, on water, if she will place in the Library a copy of the (a) joint sustainability impact study, (b) incidence effects of charging for domestic water and sewerage services (DETR, June 1998) (c) cross-Government review of water affordability (DEFRA, December 2004) and (d) current 25 year water resource plan for each water company in England.

Elliot Morley: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister are placing copies of (a) sustainability impacts study of additional house building scenarios in England in the House Library.
	The Department is placing copies of (b) Incidence Effects of Charging for Domestic Water and Sewerage Services, and (c) the Cross-Government Review of Water Affordability in the House Library.
	The Department does not hold copies of the companies' water resource plans, which are currently produced voluntarily. I will, however, place in the Library, a copy of the Environment Agency report to Ministers on those plans, Maintaining Water Supply. Summaries of plans are also available on company websites. When these plans are made statutory under the Water Act 2003, the non-commercially confidential aspects of both draft and final plans will be publicly available.

Airport Security

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 26 April 2006, Official Report, column 1089W, on airport security (Northern Ireland), whether any of the incidents referred to were deemed to be a threat to the lives of passengers, staff or the general public.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 3 May 2006
	If an incident involves circumstances indicating that an accident nearly occurred, it is defined as a serious incident under the Civil Aviation (Investigation of Air Accidents and Incidents) Regulations 1996. Of the 43 occurrences referred to in my earlier answer, four wereeither accidents or serious incidents. All serious incidents and accidents are investigated by the Department's air accidents investigation branch. The reports of all AAIB investigations are published on their website.

Airport Security

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 26 April 2006, Official Report, column 1089W, on airport security (Northern Ireland), how many incidents there were at each of the airports in each of the three preceding years.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 3 May 2006
	The number of incidents investigated by the Civil Aviation Authority at or in the locality of Belfast international airport, Belfast city airport and Londonderry airport in each of the years 2002, 2003 and 2004 is set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Belfast international Belfast city Londonderry 
		
		
			 2002 8 11 1 
			 2003 115 13 3 
			 2004 12 15 4 
		
	
	Of these, four were accidents or serious incidents as defined in the Civil Aviation (Investigation of Air Accidents and Incidents) Regulations 1996.

Climate Change

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessments have been made of the impact on climate change of decisions taken by his Department since it assumed joint responsibility for the Public Service Agreement target on reducing climate change emissions in April 2005; and if he will publish those assessments.

Stephen Ladyman: The transport measures included in CM6764 'Climate Change: The UK Programme 2006' were subjected to analysis on a number of measures including cost-effectiveness, distribution and air quality and other environmental impacts. Details of this areavailable at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climatechange/uk/ukccp/pdf/ukccp06-ria.pdf.
	In addition, Statutory Local Transport Plans and Regional Transport Strategies are subject to Strategic Environmental Assessment, and the implications for greenhouse gas emissions are carefully considered as part of this process. Ministers' decisions on schemes will take account of climate change impacts alongside other environmental, economic and safety factors.

Government Vehicles

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many cars are available for (a) Ministers and (b) officials (i) through the pool and (ii) through individual assignment.

Stephen Ladyman: There are 85 cars and drivers permanently allocated to Ministers and 25 cars and drivers permanently allocated to senior officials. The Government Car Service (GCS) also operates 35 pool cars. Official cars and drivers are provided by the GCS in accordance with the Prime Minister's guidance 'Travel by Ministers'.

Travel Costs

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the percentage change in real terms has been of the costs of travelling by (a) private car, (b) bus and (c) train since 1997.

Stephen Ladyman: Between 1997 and 2005 the real cost of motoring declined by 9 per cent. bus and coach fares increased by 15 per cent. and rail fares increased by 5 per cent.

Crown Prosecution Service

David Amess: To ask the Solicitor-General how many (a) males and (b) females in each branch of the Crown Prosecution Service have been (a) disciplined and (b) dismissed in the last 10 years as a result of a complaint against them of (i) bullying and (ii) sexual harassment being upheld; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: Data setting out the reasons for leaving the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) prior to 1 April 2001 is not available. This date coincides with the change of the HR database. Since that date, one male has been disciplined—in February 2002—for sexual harassment. No males have been disciplined for bullying and no females have been disciplined for either bullying or sexual harassment. No staff have been dismissed as a result of a complaint of bullying or sexual harassment being upheld against them. All complaints of bullying and sexual harassment are investigated in accordance with the CPS' Equality and Diversity Complaints Procedure.

Budget 2006

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many copies of the summary leaflet Budget 2006 were distributed to (a) hospitals, (b) doctors' waiting rooms, (c) libraries and (d) other public places following the Budget; how many (i) hospitals, (ii)doctors' waiting rooms and (iii) libraries requested such leaflets; and what the total cost was of printing and distribution of these leaflets.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answerI gave to the hon. Member for South-West Hertfordshire (Mr. Gauke) on 24 April 2006, Official Report, column 8710W.
	175,000 copies of the summary leaflet were distributed to libraries in the UK.

EU Accession States

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the potential impact on (a) employment trends and (b) public expenditure in (i) the UK and (ii) Peterborough and Cambridgeshire of the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the European Union after 1 January 2007; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: Based on the UK's experience of the recent accession of eight countries in May 2004, the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the European Union is likely to make a positive contribution to growth of the UK labour force and employment. It is very difficult to estimate the exact impact on employment trends and public expenditure of potential migration flows from Bulgaria and Romania, and even more difficult to estimate these impacts at the sub-regional level. However, some assessment can be made based on past UK experience, particularly from the accession of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, and Slovenia in May 2004.
	With respect to the labour market, since May 2004 employment levels in the UK have risen to record highs, in part due to the expansion of the work force from immigration. A paper entitled 'The Impact of Free Movement of Workers from Central and Eastern Europe on the UK Labour Market' (2006) published by the Department for Work and Pensions, suggests that the impact of migration from the new EU member states has been broadly positive, reflecting the flexibility and speed of adjustment of the UK labour market. The authors also found no discernible statistical evidence supporting the view that the inflow of A8 migrants is contributing to a rise in claimant unemployment in the UK.
	With respect to potential effects on public expenditure, evidence from the most recent Home Office Accession Monitoring Report suggests
	nationals from the Accession 8 countries continue to come to the UK to work, contributing to the success of the UK economy, whilst making very few demands of our welfare system or public services."

Financial Exclusion

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of people in Tamworth constituency who did not have access to a bank account on 31 December (a) 2005 and (b) 1997.

Ivan Lewis: The most recent data available that allows assessment to be made of the number of households with no access to a bank account is the family resources survey from 2002–03. This indicates that 8 per cent. of households in the United Kingdom had no bank account of any kind. This equated to 1.9 million households containing around 2.8 million adults. This data is broken down to Government Office regional level. This shows 10 per cent. of households in the West Midlands were unbanked.
	In 1997–98, the family resources survey was collected on a Great Britain basis, excluding Northern Ireland. 9per cent. of households in the West Midlands were unbanked at that time compared to 8 per cent. of households in Great Britain as a whole.
	In December 2004, the Government and the banks agreed to work together towards the goal of halving the number of adults in households with no access to a bank account of any kind and of making significant progress within two years. The Financial Inclusion Taskforce has been asked to monitor progress. The taskforce recently made its first annual report, which concluded that steady progress has been made towards the goal but also encouraged banks to continue to address the difficulties faced in opening a bank account.

Fiscal Autonomy (Scotland)

Alex Salmond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Scotland and (b) the First Minister of Scotland on fiscal autonomy for Scotland.

Des Browne: Treasury Ministers meet Scottish Ministers from time-to-time to discuss matters of common interest.

Ministerial Cars (Fuel Costs)

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the fuel costs were for ministerial cars used by his Department in each of the last five years.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Transport (Dr. Ladyman) on the 27 April 2006, Official Report, column 1226W.

Nursery Places

Fraser Kemp: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many nursery and crèche places are provided for people working in his Department; what charges are made for the provision of such services; and what other facilities are provided for the children of employees of his Department.

John Healey: The Treasury does not provide any nursery or crèche facilities. The Department is a member of the Westminster holiday play-scheme, which operates during school holidays and is open to children aged four years and nine months up to 12 years of age. The Treasury has two bespoke play-scheme rooms, which can cater for up to 18 children. The cost per child is £24.89 per day and the Treasury subsidises the costs by 51.78 per cent. The total subsidy to Treasury parents using the play-scheme from February 2005 to February 2006 inclusive has been £8,947.
	The Treasury also supports the child care cost of eligible staff. Staff who work full-time receive child care vouchers up to the value of £40.00 per week per family, part-timers receive a pro-rated amount. Currently 103 members of staff receive child care vouchers. The cost of child care vouchers, since the scheme was introduced in January 2004 up to and including April 2006 is £354,300.

Pensions

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment the Government Actuary has made of contingent public sector liabilities in respect of employee pension funds of privatised companies.

Des Browne: The Government Actuary have not been asked to make any assessment of these liabilities.

Export Control Act

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the proposed review of the Export Control Act 2002 is expected to commence; and which body he plans to ask to carry out the review.

Malcolm Wicks: In line with Cabinet Office guidance, my intention is to start the review of the regulations introduced under the Export Control Act after they have been in force for three years, i.e. from May 2007. The review will be carried out by DTI's Export Control Organisation, which has responsibility for the legislation, in consultation with other interested Departments and parties.

Fuel Prices

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the average price of a gallon of (a) unleaded and (b) diesel fuel was in (i) Milton Keynes and (ii) the UK in each week since May 2005.

Malcolm Wicks: Weekly prices for Milton Keynes are not available. Average weekly prices for the UK as a whole are as follows.
	
		
			   £/gallon 
			  Diesel Unleaded petrol 
		
		
			 2 May 2005 4.07 3.88 
			 9 May 2005 4.07 3.88 
			 16 May 2005 4.06 3.88 
			 23 May 2005 4.05 3.85 
			 30 May 2005 4.02 3.83 
			 6 June 2005 4.01 3.82 
			 13 June 2005 4.04 3.86 
			 20 June 2005 4.07 3.89 
			 27 June 2005 4.10 3.94 
			 4 July 2005 4.14 3.98 
			 11 July 2005 4.18 3.99 
			 18 July 2005 4.21 4.03 
			 25 July 2005 4.23 4.05 
			 1 August 2005 4.24 4.06 
			 8 August 2005 4.26 4.08 
			 15 August 2005 4.30 4.12 
			 22 August 2005 4.30 4.13 
			 29 August 2005 4.33 4.16 
			 5 September 2005 4.42 4.29 
			 12 September 2005 4.45 4.32 
			 19 September 2005 4.42 4.29 
			 26 September 2005 4.38 4.24 
			 3 October 2005 4.39 4.25 
			 10 October 2005 4.41 4.28 
			 17 October 2005 4.41 4.28 
			 24 October 2005 4.40 4.25 
			 31 October 2005 4.39 4.22 
			 7 November 2005 4.39 4.20 
			 14 November 2005 4.32 4.12 
			 21 November 2005 4.24 4.03 
			 28 November 2005 4.21 4.00 
			 5 December 2005 4.17 3.97 
			 12 December 2005 4.16 3.96 
			 19 December 2005 4.17 3.98 
			 26 December 2005 4.19 4.00 
			 2 January 2006 4.19 4.00 
			 9 January 2006 4.23 4.03 
			 16 January 2006 4.24 4.05 
			 23 January 2006 4.26 4.07 
			 30 January 2006 4.27 4.09 
			 6 February 2006 4.27 4.08 
			 13 February 2006 4.26 4.08 
			 20 February 2006 4.26 4.07 
			 27 February 2006 4.26 4.07 
			 6 March 2006 4.26 4.06 
			 13 March 2006 4.27 4.07 
			 20 March 2006 4.29 4.10 
			 27 March 2006 4.32 4.13 
			 3 April 2006 4.35 4.17 
			 10 April 2006 4.38 4.22 
			 17 April 2006 4.44 4.28 
			 24 April 2006 4.48 4.33

Looked-after Children

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the total number of looked after children was in each local authority in each year since 1997.

Maria Eagle: The information requested is provided in a table entitled Children looked after at 31 March by local authorities, 1997–2005" which can be accessed on the DfES website at:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DBA/OL/v000646/index.shtml.

Looked-after Children

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children have been taken into care in each local authority in each year since 1997.

Maria Eagle: The information requested is provided in a table entitled Children who started to be looked after by local authorities in the years ending 1997 to 2005" which can be accessed on the DfES website at:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DBA/OL/v000646/index.shtml.

Ministerial Cars (Fuel Costs)

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the fuel costs were for ministerial cars used by her Department in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Transport (Dr. Ladyman) on 27 April, Official Report, column 1226W.

Teachernet Website

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many hits the teachernet website received in each month of the last two years.

Bill Rammell: The Department has reduced the number of websites for schools over the last 2 years. It now manages just three main portals (TeacherNet, GovernorNet and the Standards Site) which contain important information and resources for members of the schools workforce. Extensive work is currently being undertaken to rationalise and migrate these three portals into a single new online service. This is due to be fully completed in mid-2007.
	The following table shows the number of hits received by the TeacherNet website each month for the last two years.
	
		
			  2006 2005 
		
		
			 March 37,363,271 27,501,009 
			 February 31,494,483 26,440,032 
			 January 37,241,118 29,183,678 
			 December 24,060,325 18,046,712 
			 November 35,312,527 29,959,059 
			 October 34,060,109 26,390,921 
			 September 31,632,303 25,351,729 
			 August 17,024,394 14,200,461 
			 July 23,128,655 18,380,721 
			 June 27,427,281 22,665,026 
			 May 28,573,698 30,089,504 
			 April 28,382,229 26,989,786

Pathways to Work

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of Pathways to Work participants have made use of (a) job brokering, (b) the condition management programme and (c) return to work credit.

Margaret Hodge: The information is in the following table.
	
		Proportion of Pathways to Work participants and of Choices starts in Pathways Percentage
		
			  Registered with a New Deal for Disabled People Job Broker Referred to the Condition Management Programme Awarded the Return to Work Credit 
			  All new claimants in Pathways areas Claimants who volunteer to participate in Choices Programme All new claimants in Pathways areas Claimants who volunteer to participate in Choices Programme All new claimants in Pathways areas Claimants who volunteer to participate in Choices Programme 
		
		
			 Existing customers-volunteers 12 62 8 32 27 30 
			 New/Repeat mandatory customers 6 54 5 40 7 17 
			 Existing customers-mandatory extension 6 27 11 47 3 Not Available 
		
	
	Note:
	Data is to October 2005.
	Source:
	Pathways to Work Evaluation Database.

Medical Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether applications to the Medical and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency for European procedures in handling product licence applications are given priority over national procedure applications; and if she will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: Applications to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for product licences should be handled within the timescales established by legislation. The medicines directive implemented into United Kingdom legislation requires us to take all appropriate measures to ensure that authorisation procedures are completed within 210 days of submission of a valid application.
	However, the legislation also establishes additional timescales, which must be met where the authorisation is to be granted following European procedures amongst one or more other member states or within the entire community. For example, within the so-called mutual recognition procedure, we must make sure to have completed our scientific evaluation within 90 days. And within the community-wide centralised procedure, we must complete our scientific assessment within 80 days.
	These tighter European procedural timescales do dictate that such applications receive some priority within the MHRA since to do otherwise might mean that we were obliged to allow marketing of the product in the UK regardless of any concerns we may have for its quality, safety or efficacy.

Medical Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the length of time taken by the Medical and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency to acknowledge an application for a product licence (a) is measured and (b) is included in the processing time reported by the agency.

Jane Kennedy: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has included the time it takes to receive and acknowledge applications for product licences in its overall processing times. However, for incomplete or potentially invalid applications the time taken by the company to correct the application is not included in the processing times. Incomplete or potentially invalid applications include those not accompanied by appropriate data or documents, submitted under the wrong legal basis or without payment of the correct fee.
	The MHRA information management system sends the applicant a notification of receipt letter as soon as the application is entered into the database and showing the date on which the application was received. A subsequent acknowledgement of submission letter is sent to the applicant as soon as the application has been validated and is ready for the start of assessment.
	The MHRA measures the time taken to enter submissions onto the database and to complete their validation as part of its internal monitoring of business processes.

Overseas Doctors

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what percentage of doctors, who are non-European Economic Area citizens work in the NHS; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The number of doctors employed in the national health service who qualified in non-European Economic Area countries is shown in the following table. No information is collected relating to the country of origin of NHS staff.
	
		General and personal medical services and hospital community health services (HCHS): All doctors(13)(14)(15) by specified country of primary qualification group, England as at 30 September 2005 Number (headcount) and percentages
		
			  All countries of qualification All EEA countries EEA countries (percentage) All non-EEA countries Non-EEA countries (percentage) 
		
		
			 All doctors 119,017 86,057 72.3 32,960 27.7 
			   
			 All HCHS medical staff(14)(15) 83,073 55,762 67.1 27,311 32.9 
			   
			 All GPs(13) 35,944 30,295 84.3 5,649 15.7 
			 Of which:  
			 GPs (excluding retainers and registrars) 32,738 27,990 85.5 4,748 14.5 
			 GP registrars 2,564 1,684 65.7 880 34.3 
		
	
	(13)Practitioners includes contracted GPs, QMS Others, PMS Others, GP registrars and GP retainers
	(14)Excludes medical hospital practitioners and medical clinical assistants, most of whom are GPs working part time in hospitals
	(15)Excludes ail dental staff. Information about country of qualification is derived from the General Medical Council. For staff in dental specialties, with a General Dental Council registration, the country of qualification is therefore unknown.
	Sources:
	The Information Centre for health and social care medical and dental workforce census. The Information Centre for health and social care general & personal medical services Statistics

Criminal Convictions

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons aged (a) 11 to 15, (b) 16, (c) 17 and (d) 18 years were (i) prosecuted for and (ii) convicted of a criminal offence in (A)Southend-on-Sea, (B) Essex, (C) the Metropolitan Police area of London and (D) England and Wales in each year since 1990.

Fiona Mactaggart: Data from the Court Proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform on the number of persons aged (a) 11 to 15, (b) 16, (c) 17 and (d) 18 years proceeded against at the magistrates' courts for all offences, in (A) Southend-on-Sea, (B) Essex, (C) the Metropolitan Police area of London and (D) England and Wales, 1990–2004 are contained in the following table.
	Statistics for 2005 court proceedings will be available in the autumn of 2006.
	
		Number of persons prosecuted at magistrates court and found guilty at all courts, for all offences1, by age group breakdown, in (a)Southend-on-Sea (South East Essex)2, (b) Essex, (c) Metropolitan Police area, (d) England and Wales, 1990 to 2004 Found guilty
		
			 Area/Age group breakdown 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 
		
		
			 South East Essex 
			 11–15 62 51 46 57 91 132 197 147 
			 16 58 54 38 60 73 1144 127 168 
			 17 197 174 178 164 156 141 271 219 
			 18 298 272 246 224 280 303 445 472 
			  
			 Essex 
			 11–15 275 266 195 249 337 476 628 683 
			 16 306 275 221 224 310 390 527 569 
			 17 1,089 752 714 580 584 677 988 944 
			 18 1,813 1,125 1,104 1,150 1,175 1,216 1,645 1,682 
			  
			 Metropolitan Police area 
			 11–15 2,051 1,852 1,414 1,715 2,257 2,347 2,555 2,512 
			 16 1,820 1,656 1,469 1,514 1,911 2,046 2,775 3,147 
			 17 4,420 4,197 3,365 3,143 3,301 3,346 4,378 4,883 
			 18 6,130 6,076 5,126 5,078 5,529 5,075 5,481 6,126 
			 England and Wales 
			 11–15 19,278 16,900 15,203 16,185 21,260 23,721 23,516 24,665 
			 16 17,871 15,547 13,713 13,012 15,500 17,335 19,538 20,813 
			 17 47,122 41,262 34,225 26,096 25,245 26,743 31,576 33,590 
			 18 70,567 62,166 53,936 47,237 46,485 44,791 47,997 52,332 
		
	
	
		Found guilty
		
			  1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 South East Essex
			 11–15 172 171 123 150 144 131 165 
			 16 134 117 94 146 119 95 127 
			 17 247 250 199 257 200 190 185 
			 18 517 432 332 294 320 314 293 
			 
			 Essex
			 11–15 754 749 738 872 792 774 893 
			 16 565 571 583 636 519 501 670 
			 17 983 919 953 1,028 918 805 930 
			 18 1,863 1,613 1,420 1,409 1,376 1,442 1,343 
			 
			 Metropolitan Police area
			 11–15 2,851 3,404 3,544 4,152 4,246 3,850 3,906 
			 16 3,987 3,042 2,932 3,382 3,292 3,068 3,268 
			 17 5,517 5,251 4,924 5,670 5,571 4,491 4,486 
			 18 6,378 6,133 6,022 6,715 7,094 7,275 6,478 
			 
			 England and Wales
			 11–15 28,145 31,268 32,815 34,609 33,945 33,316 35,447 
			 16 22,724 22,838 22,944 24,344 24,048 23,660 24,918 
			 17 35,516 36,014 35,469 36,378 36,375 35,397 35,616 
			 18 55,226 53,017 50,635 50,354 50,359 51,313 48,958 
		
	
	
		Number of persons prosecuted at magistrates court and found guilty at all courts, for all offences1, by age group breakdown, in (a)Southend-on-Sea (South East Essex)2, (b) Essex, (c) Metropolitan Police area, (d) England and Wales, 1990 to 2004 Prosecuted
		
			 Area/Age group breakdown 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 
		
		
			 South East Essex 
			 11–15 121 91 80 83 155 199 321 244 
			 16 130 105 83 85 127 148 210 225 
			 17 390 269 278 228 242 210 380 321 
			 18 568 405 362 318 363 415 587 626 
			  
			 Essex 
			 11–15 418 443 359 406 553 706 979 1,045 
			 16 461 478 407 362 508 595 795 847 
			 17 1,465 1,089 1,098 874 901 993 1,404 1,331 
			 18 2,254 1,6181 1,580 1,559 1,631 1,628 2,225 22,219 
			  
			 Metropolitan Police area 
			 11–15 3,216 3,009 2,704 3,346 4,299 4,560 4,803 4,338 
			 16 2,662 2,576 2,633 2,697 3,401 3,560 4,534 4,572 
			 17 5,920 5,993 5,083 5,477 5,814 5,511 6,998 6,907 
			 18 7,514 7,959 7,184 7,803 8,493 7,565 7,967 8,486 
			  
			 England and Wales 
			 11–15 27,767 26,349 25,727 27,389 35,778 39,305 39,809 39,838 
			 16 25,642 23,970 22,956 21,825 25,721 28,587 31,663 32,249 
			 17 61,356 56,005 49,860 41,797 40,685 41,998 49,015 50,328 
			 18 88,573 82,059 74,233 67,830 67,713 64,088 68,588 73,384 
		
	
	
		Prosecuted
		
			  1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 South East Essex  
			 11–15 274 282: 198 226 214 196 240 
			 16 230 192 150 204 184 143 182 
			 17 360 377 267 333 281 252 249 
			 18 691 557 431 381 411 414 384 
			 
			 Essex
			 11–15 1,149 1,139 1,222 1,306 1,172 1,104 1,205 
			 16 831 859 890 962 797 766 903 
			 17 1,381 1,330 1,369 1,421 1,263 1,099 1,211 
			 18 2,433 2,110 1,937 1,873 1,833 1,882 1,757 
			 
			 Metropolitan Police area
			 11–15 4,767 5,610 6,315 7,699 7,355 6,513 6,128 
			 16 5,529 4,665 4,710 5,595 5,314 4,837 4.801 
			 17 7,470 7,330 7,286 8,522 8,350 6,736 6,310 
			 18 8,556 8,306 8,247 9,371 9,637 9,702 8,512 
			 
			 England and Wales
			 11–15 44,585 48,281 52,667 56,481 54,009 51,722 50,813 
			 16 34,539 34,736 35,762 38,429 37,7025 36,122 35,656 
			 17 51,856 52,382 52,921 54,790 54,553 52,638 49,874 
			 18 76,134 73,033 70,098 70,986 70,775 71,355 65,203

Departmental Policies

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to Islington South and Finsbury constituency, the effects on Islington South and Finsbury of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997.

Charles Clarke: The Government have put into place policies in the areas of crime reduction, antisocial behaviour, policing and active communities that are yielding considerable benefits for the constituency.
	Between March 1997 and March 2005 the number of police officers in the Metropolitan Police area increased by 4,396 from 26,677 to 31,073. The Government's introduction of community support officers (CSOs) in 2002 has put 2,053 CSOs on the streets in the Metropolitan Police Service area to tackle crime and antisocial behaviour. Metropolitan Police will receive £1,818 million in general grants for 2006–07, an increase of 3.1 per cent. (£54.7 million) over the comparable figure for 2005–06. General grants funding to Metropolitan Police has increased by 20.8 per cent. between 1997–98 and 2006–7 (Figures are not directly comparable, due to boundary changes, adjustments to pay centrally for NCS and NCIS, and the transfer of pensions and security funding from general grant to specific in 2006–07. All have reduced general grant for Metropolitan Police Authority compared with 1997). In addition to general grants, Metropolitan Police will also receive an estimated £394.5 million in specific grants funding for targeted initiatives and capital provision in 2006–07. The Metropolitan also gains £5.3 million from the amending reports for 2004–05 and 2005–06. The distribution of resources locally is a matter for the Police Authority and the Chief Officer.
	The Crime Reduction programme (CRP) was a £340 million intervention programme running for three years from April 1999. Figures are not available for constituency or local level.
	In Islington a total of 20 Antisocial Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) have been issued (The latest figures available).
	
		Table 1: Number of offences recorded—1997(16)
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Islington CDRP  
			 Domestic burglary n/a 
			 Theft of a vehicle n/a 
			 Theft from a vehicle n/a 
			   
			 Metropolitan Police Force area  
			 Domestic burglary 88,010 
			 Theft of a vehicle 55,432 
			 Theft from a vehicle 104,872 
		
	
	n/a=not available.
	(16)The data in this table is prior to the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard. These figures are not directly comparable with those for later years.
	
		Table 2: Number of offences recorded—1998–99 to 2001–02(17) Number
		
			  1998–99(18) 1999–2000(19) 2000–01 2001–02 
		
		
			 Islington CDRP 
			 Domestic burglary n/a 3,165 2,645 2,966 
			 Theft of a vehicle n/a 2,362 2,447 2,573 
			 Theft from a vehicle n/a 4,966 4,499 4,584 
			  
			 Metropolitan Police Force area  
			 Domestic burglary 75,797 79,504 70,169 73,930 
			 Theft of a vehicle 59,409 62,791 62,452 62,112 
			 Theft from a vehicle 103,611 112,206 105,699 112,146 
		
	
	n/a=not available.
	(17)The data in this table is prior to the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard. These figures are not directly comparable with those for later years.
	(18)The coverage was extended and counting rules revised from 1998–99. Figures from that date are not directly comparable with those for 1997.
	(19)Recorded crime figures for CDRPs were collected for the first time for the 12 months to March 2000.
	
		Table 3: Number of offences recorded—2002–03 to 2004–05(20) Number
		
			 Offence 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 Islington CDRP
			 Domestic burglary 3,083 2,611 2,451 
			 Theft of a vehicle 2,351 2,043 1,340 
			 Theft from a vehicle 5,003 5,553 3,678 
			 
			 Metropolitan Police Force area 
			 Domestic burglary 72,237 67,996 63,084 
			 Theft of a vehicle 58,405 55,158 48,026 
			 Theft from a vehicle 114,987 103,899 88,164 
		
	
	(20)The data in this table takes account of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for earlier years.
	
		
			 £ 
			 Scheme Area 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 
		
		
			 Small Retailers in Deprived Areas Islington CDRP 26,419 66,236 66,236 — — — — 
			 Communities against drugs Islington CDRP — 262,200 594,218 — — — — 
			 Safer Communities Initiative Islington CDRP — — 137,255 — — — — 
			 Building Safer Communities Fund(21) Islington CDRP — — — 412,195 422,500 422,500 — 
			 Basic Command Unit Fund(22) Islington — — — 366,436 366,436 366,436 366,436 
			 Partnership Development Fund Islington — 50,000 50,000 — — — — 
			 Home Office Regional Directors' Allocation (HORDs)(23) London Region — — — 1.24m 1.24m 1.24m 1.24m 
			 Safer Stronger Communities Fund (SSCF) (Home Office  Contribution)  — — — — — — 515,201 
		
	
	(21)In the years 2004–05 and 2005–06 the Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships received an additional £25,000 for ASB co-ordinator.
	(22)Figures for constituency level
	(23)Figures for London Region, not available for CDRP or constituency
	(24)SSCF brought together a number of HO and ODPM funding streams and was rolled out to all areas for 2006–07.
	The HO Contribution is made up of the total of the former BSCF, ASB Co-ordinator Grant and Drugs Partnership Support Grant.

Departmental Policies

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set out with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to West Lancashire constituency the effects in West Lancashire of changes to his Department's policies since 1997.

Charles Clarke: The Government have put into place policies in the areas of crime reduction, antisocial behaviour, policing and active communities that are yielding considerable benefits for the constituency.
	Between March 1997 and March 2005 the number of police officers in the Lancashire Police area increased by 339 from 3,247 to 3,586. The Government's introduction of Community Support Officers (CSOs) in 2002 has put 159 CSOs on the streets in the Lancashire Police Service area to tackle crime and antisocial behaviour.
	Lancashire Police will receive £187 million in general grants for 2006–07, an increase of 3.1 per cent. (£5.6 million) over the comparable figure for 2005–06. General grants funding to Lancashire police has increased by 27.3 per cent. between 1997–98 and 2006–07. (Figures are not directly comparable, as adjustments to pay for NCS and NCIS centrally, and the transfer of pensions and security funding from general grant to specific in 2006–07 have reduced General Grant for Lancashire Police Authority compared with 1997). In addition to general grants, Lancashire police will also receive an estimated £33.8 million in specific grants funding for targeted initiatives and capital provision in 2006–07. Lancashire will also gain £0.6 million from the Amending Reports for 2004–05 and 2005–06. The distribution of resources locally is a matter for the Police Authority and the Chief Constable.
	The Crime Reduction Programme (CRP) was a £340 million intervention programme running for three years from April 1999.
	Figures are not available for constituency or local level. In West Lancashire a total of 14 antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) have been issued. (The latest figures available).
	
		Table 1: Number of offences recorded—1997(25)
		
			  1997 
		
		
			 West Lancashire CDRP  
			 Domestic burglary n/a 
			 Theft of a vehicle n/a 
			 Theft from a vehicle n/a 
			   
			 Lancashire police force area  
			 Domestic burglary 14,833 
			 Theft of a vehicle 8,160 
			 Theft from a vehicle 18,993 
		
	
	n/a—not available.
	(25)The data in this table is prior to the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard. These figures are not directly comparable with those for later years.
	
		Table 2: Number of offences recorded—1998–99 to 2001–02(26)
		
			  1998–99(27) 1999–2000(28) 2000–01 2001–02 
		
		
			 West Lancashire CDRP   
			 Domestic burglary n/a 422 383 591 
			 Theft of a vehicle n/a 598 546 577 
			 Theft from a vehicle n/a 681 706 872 
			 Lancashire police force area  
			 Domestic burglary 12,186 10,561 10,643 12,102 
			 Theft of a vehicle 7,350 6,504 6,151 6,154 
			 Theft from a vehicle 16,122 14,308 14,202 14,861 
		
	
	n/a—not available.
	(26)The data in this table is prior to the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard. These figures are not directly comparable with those for later years.
	(27)The coverage was extended and counting rules revised from 1998–99. Figures from that date are not directly comparable with those for 1997.
	(28)Recorded crime figures for CDRPs were collected for the first time for the 12 months to March 2000.
	
		Table 3: Number of offences recorded—2002–03 to 2004–05(29)
		
			 Offence 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 West Lancashire CDRP
			 Domestic burglary 550 469 327 
			 Theft of a vehicle 459 514 376 
			 Theft from a vehicle 731 787 659 
			 
			 Lancashire police force area 
			 Domestic burglary 9,513 8,821 6,695 
			 Theft of a vehicle 5,585 5,231 4,514 
			 Theft from a vehicle 13,289 11,468 10,822 
		
	
	(29)The data in this table takes account of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for earlier years.
	
		
			£ 
			 Scheme Area 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 
		
		
			 Small Retailers in Deprived Areas North West total CDRP 470,667 941,211 942,205 — — — 
			 Communities against drugs West Lancashire CDRP 85,500 85,500 — — — — 
			 Safer Communities Initiative West Lancashire CDRP — 26,876 — — — — 
			 Building Safer Communities Fund(30) West Lancashire CDRP — — 116,412 119,323 119,323 — 
			 Basic Command Unit Fund(31) West Lancashire — — 199,837 199,837 199,837 199,837 
			 Partnership Development Fund West Lancashire CDRP 1,800,000 1,970,000 — — — — 
			 Home Office Regional Directors' Allocation (HORDs)(32) North West Region — — 1,164,100 1,164,100 1,164,100 1,164,100 
			 Safer Stronger Communities Fund (SSCF) (Home Office Contribution) West Lancashire CDRP — — — — — 1,878,673 
		
	
	(30)In the years 2004–05 and 2005–06 the Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships received an additional £25,000 for ASB co-ordinator
	(31)Figures for constituency level
	(32)Figures for North West Region, not available for CDRP or constituency
	(33)SSCF brought together a number of HO and ODPM funding streams and was rolled out to all areas for 2006–07.
	The HO Contribution is made up of the total of the former BSCF, ASB Co-ordinator Grant and Drugs Partnership Support Grant.